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The opponent of Week 1 is the same for the Green Bay Packers, but the location and alignments are very different from those of last season. New head coach Matt LaFleur will travel to Soldier Field with his team to play his first official match as head coach in hostile territory.
Let's look at each team position by position and see how the 2019 teams compare to the 2018 teams.
quarterbacks
This is one of the few positions that will not be so different in 2019. The only difference is that Aaron Rodgers is now assisted by Tim Boyle. The Bears still have Mitchell Trubisky and Chase Daniel as substitutes.
Despite a knee injury at the end of the game, Rodgers recorded a completion rate of 66.67%, totaling 286 yards and three touchdowns with zero interception, good for a passer of 130.7. He also had a rushed attempt for 15 yards.
Trubisky threw for 171 yards without any touchdowns or interceptions. Although he had a low pass score of 77.2, he made seven attempts for 32 yards and one touchdown.
Trubisky begins his second year in the system of Matt Nagy, while Rodgers will see his first action at stake in the new diagram of LaFleur. This is one of the big stories this week: How do Rodgers and LaFleur handle the attack?
Running Backs
The two backcountry fields will look different in 2019, with both teams having departures and new additions.
To begin with, offensive midfielder Aaron Jones will receive a large portion of field deductions after missing last week's Week 1 game due to a suspension. In 2018, the Packers rushed attack was shared between Jamaal Williams and Ty Montgomery.
Williams had 15 attempts for 47 yards and no touchdown, averaging 3.13 yards per attempt. Montgomery added two rushing attempts for seven yards (3.5 yards per attempt) and two receptions for 21 yards, plus two kick returns for 47 yards.
Aaron Jones is expected to bring a spark to the offensive in 2019, although he has a regrettable injury history every time he played Soldier Field. LaFleur may use it sparingly for this reason. In addition to Jones, the Packers also have rookie Dexter Williams who could see litters against Chicago. He had some highs and lows in pre-season but he really found his way in pre-season 4, which makes it a solid base.
For the Bears, their ground game in 2018 was led by Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. Cohen had five yards for 5.0 yards per run and three receptions for 16 yards in the air. Howard made 15 attempts for 82 yards and five receptions for 25 yards. With Howard joining the Philadelphia Eagles last season, the new game of the Bears race features Cohen, coveted rookie David Montgomery and former Seattle Seahawk Mike Davis.
In 2019, the two backcourt are very different from those of 2018, which means that this contest is practically a real coup de brilliance. Packers fans will be thrilled to see Jones return, while Bears fans will be looking for what Montgomery will bring to his first regular season game after a strong playoff performance.
The Packers also have a back on the lineup, which was missing to the 2018 team. Danny Vitale is a versatile option and provides security in the racing game, the reception game and the blocking game. On the contrary, the Bears started the 2018 season with back Michael Burton. Chicago does not have a traditional back in the 2019 formation.
Wide receivers
This is where things get interesting, even if not a ton has changed in a year. The Bears still have Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller as the starting lineup of wide receivers.
The Packers are in a similar situation, with Davante Adams and Geronimo Allison returning to the starting lineup. The only change, however, is the loss of hiker named "Bear Killer", Randall Cobb, now a Dallas Cowboy.
Miller was a coveted name for Packers fans in the 2018 Draft. While he had only two receptions for 14 yards against Green Bay, Miller put together a solid first-year season, good for 423 yards and seven touchdowns .
For the Packers, Geronimo Allison looked good in last season's Season 1 game, posting five receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown. Although his season has unfortunately ended on a pool of injured, he played well on his first outings and should do the same against Chicago Thursday night.
Mark Valdes-Scantling, Jake Kumerow, Darrius Shepherd and Trevor Davis complete a Packers core that suffered a loss to the slot receiver after Cobb's departure. The way the Packers plan to fill this void (both with Allison and Shepherd as slots receivers) will do a lot for Thursday's game. Valdes-Scantling is about to make a big leap in sophomore after finishing the 2018 season with 581 yards and two touchdowns.
Tight ends
Just like last year. The tight end unit of the Bears is led by Trey Burton. However, Burton was operated on for a sports hernia during the off-season, earning him the status of week 1. Adam Shaheen, third-year player, is in second position on the depth card. Shaheen has had four touchdowns in his last two seasons.
The Packers return three familiar names to their team in Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan. The choice of third rookie, Jace Sternberger, would have been launched next Monday. Whether or not Sternberger makes his debut in Chicago is unclear. Graham, the starting coach of the training, also hurt his finger. It's something he'll probably play, but it still leaves his dubious status for the moment. Fans hope to see more of Graham in 2019 than in 2018. Although they finished the season with 636 yards and two touchdowns, only eight of those yards faced the Bears in the first week. TE core.
Offensive line
This is a big problem for the Packers and Bears, as both teams are looking for consistency along injury lines. In addition, both teams return three out of four players to their lines. In 2018, the starting alignments of week 1 looked like this:
The bears – Charles Leno Jr., Kush Eric, Cody Whitehair, Kyle Long and Bobby Massie
Packers – David Bakhtiari, Taylor Lane, Corey Linsley, Justin McCray and Bryan Bulaga
The two lineages are similar in 2019: the Packers trading only McCray for the acquisition of the free agent Billy Turner, and the Bears dragging Whitehair on LG and making James Daniels their center.
Both teams have excellent attackers, which makes continuity along the offensive line particularly important. Week 1. Rodgers and Trubisky are both able to escape the pocket to extend their game. Offensive lines are going to be one of the most important units of Thursday's game.
Defensive line
Akiem Hicks is the star player here on the Bears line of defense, but Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols are not left out either. The top three remain unchanged from 2018 to 2019 and will seek as much to attack Aaron Rodgers. Hicks had a tackle for the loss, a hit for the quarterback and a forced breakaway in the 2018 game on day one.
The defensive line of the Packers is the team that will look different Thursday night. In 2018, the line consisted of Mike Daniels, Muhammad Wilkerson and Kenny Clark. Daniels was the victim of a quarter and a sack against week 1 of the Bears last season, but he was released during the off season.
Clark is now the focal point of the Packers defense line. In addition to Clark, the Packers expect Dean Lowry to respect his new contract. Behind Clark and Lowry, Green Bay has talented spinners at Montravius Adams, Tyler Lancaster, Kingsley Keke and Fadol Brown. The coaches have a lot of confidence in their young line players, which partly explains why Daniels became indispensable to the team. This is probably Pettine's strongest defense unit.
Outside linebackers
Once again, the heart of the Bears linebacking is almost identical in 2019. Khalil Mack is the obvious star here, backed by Leonard Floyd. Packers fans will remember Mack's dominant performance in Season 1 of last season when he posted a line of statistics including a sack, three tackles, one defended pass, one interception returned for a touchdown, a forced escape and a recovered fumble.
For the Packers, Kyler Fackrell is the only player to return to the linebacker's room. That's where General Manager Brian Gutekunst spent a ton of free money, shifting defensive piers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry in favor of Za'Darius and Preston Smith, defensive harnesses on the rise. Gutekunst also passed his first pick in the 2019 NFL draft to Rashan Gary, another linebacker with explosive play.
While Perry played very well in 2018, week 1 (yes, believe it) with five tackles, a tackle for defeat, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a sack, Pettine should be able to get as much production from Smith, Smith, Fackrell and Gary. It's a group of positions that will leave the Bears off guard all night, considering all the stunts and blitzes that Pettine can perform with her new sharp edges.
Linebackers inside
At the risk of sounding like a broken record at this point, the Bears have the same beginner internal linebackers in 2019 as in 2018. What does this mean? Well, that means their defense was already incredibly solid and that in truth, there was not much to improve during the off-season.
Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith are the headliners here, backed by Nick Kwiatoski and Joel Iyiegbuniwe. Smith is a rising player for the Bears and was very popular at the exit of the repechage. In Smith's first game against Green Bay, he scored a tackle for the loss, a quarterback and a sack.
The Packers planned to start 2018 with Blake Martinez and Oren Burks as linebacker, but Burks was injured on one shoulder. The Packers were forced to look elsewhere and acquire Antonio Morrison through an exchange with the Colts. The year 2019 began in a strangely similar way. The Burks, hopefuls of the Packers, will jump in the second year, to hurt their chest during the pre-season. Once again, the Packers entered the market and imported linebacker B.J. Goodson from the Giants.
The position of Green Bay's linebackers still seems a bit in flux, but the Packers picked up the promising seventh-round coach, Ty Summers, this year behind Martinez and Goodson on the depth chart while Burks healed. Summers had an impressive pre-season that he crowned with a 74-yard interception that came back for a touchdown.
cornerbacks
The Bears start alongside Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara to start the 2019 season, as they did in 2018. They had some losses in high school this season, including Bryce Callahan who went to the Broncos to join the long-time defensive coordinator. Vic Fangio. Buster Skrine, who previously played in Cleveland and with the Jets in New York, is now in his shoes. Skrine has played 14 games with the Jets in 2018 and has had eight defensive passes.
The Packers hope their corner room will stay healthy. If they can, it's one of the most talented units they've had in years. Second in the year, Alexander Jaire is the backbench pillar and third-year Kevin King has already announced that he would play Thursday night at Soldier Field. In good health, King is a difference maker for defense. Behind Alexander and King, the Packers return Tramon Williams and Josh Jackson while adding Tony Brown, Ka'dar Hollman and Chandon Sullivan to the mix.
security
This could be the position everyone was waiting for. In particular, the Packers and Bears have swapped the security rules: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix joins Eddie Jackson in high school in Chicago and Adrian Amos, opposing Darnell Savage, choice among first-time rookies in Green Bay.
Because of this exchange, the two sub teams will function differently than they were in 2018. For starters, Amos was designated as a reliable and safe player in defense. Although he does not make a ton of splash games, he is still where he needs to be and does not get burned by big games. Clinton-Dix was about the opposite when he was in Green Bay. He had the knack for being in the right place at the right time for an interception (he literally headed the Packers in 2018 while he was only playing half the season), but he was engaging too much and giving up a big piece.
This is one of those positions that may not really have a "winner". The Bears will pair Clinton-Dix and Jackson so that Alabama teammates can go to high school together. This could be a useful role for Clinton-Dix in Chicago.
In Green Bay, the two start guarantees are new, with Darnell Savage supposed to be the playmaker and Adrian Amos should be the veteran pillar of confidence on the backend. It is quite plausible that the two side teams look better after this unintentional exchange, which is largely due to a defensive adjustment. New Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano could use Clinton-Ten differently than Pettine did in Green Bay, and that's fine.
One thing is certain, though. The Packers have a much improved security room in 2019 with Amos, Savage, Greene and Redmond than in 2018 with Clinton-Dix, Kentrell Brice, Josh Jones, Jermaine Whitehead and Greene.
Coaching Staff
This is something that Packers fans will die from wanting to see on Thursday night. How does Matt LaFleur compare to Matt Nagy? The Packers head coach has not changed either. The team also has a new offensive coordinator for Nathaniel Hackett, several new coaches, including quarterback coach Luke Getsy, and a new special team coordinator, Shawn Mennenga. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is one of the only familiar faces the Bears will recognize in 2019.
For the Bears, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio left to coach the Denver Broncos. He is replaced by Chuck Pagano, defensive coach for most of his career. The defensive pillars are all identical, so the way Pagano will use them in the absence of Fangio will be to watch for the first week.
The dynamic here is going to be interesting since there is not much new band on any coach. While the Bears can study LaFleur's past with the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans, they could even glance at Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay as they share a coaching tree. is one aspect of the offense that LaFleur will implement in Green Bay.
Although there are many new additions to both teams entering the first week, the big names remain the same. The Packers still have Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and a huge potential attack. The Bears still have Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and a dominant defense. As players and coaches change, the constant is that this is undoubtedly the oldest and best rivalry of the NFL. Thursday will be the 199th match between the two teams, with the Packers retaining a 97-95-6 advantage in the series.
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